WORDS ARE TOOLS

Write with Clarity, Simplicity & Humanity

"One pearl is better than a whole necklace of potatoes."

- Etienne Decroux, French mime

Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the

conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no
tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a
considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken
into account.
- George Orwell

A writer must be able to discriminate between pearls and potatoes.

Sift through piles of words, choose perfect specimens and string
them together upon the thread of syntax.
Choose words that carry your ideas.
Do they express your thoughts exactly?

Denotation & Connotation

peach - a single-seeded fruit with tangy yellowish pulp
and downy skin that goes from yellow to red
mango - a single-seeded fruit with tangy yellowish pulp
and firm skin mottled with greens, yellows and reds
What do you associate with these two fruits? Are they exactly the
same? Next, consider the following words. Do you get a specific
mental image for each one? Which words are effective? Why?
house
abode
residence
dwelling
domicile

cottage
shack
mansion
townhouse
bungalow

duplex
hacienda
nipa hut
condo
dorm room

I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift,
nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet
riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but
time and chance happeneth to them all.
- Ecclesiastes 9:11
King James Version (1611)
I realized another thing, that in this world fast runners do not always
win the races, and the brave do not always win the battles. Wise
men do not always earn a living, intelligent men do not always get
rich, and capable men do nopt always rise to high positions. Bad luck
happens to everyone.
- Ecclesiastes 9:11
Good News Bible (1976)
Which version among the three works best? Why?
Read and explain the following:
Scintillate, scintillate, globule aurific,
Fair would I fathom thy nature specific.
Loftily poised in ether capacious,
Strongly resembling a gem carbonaceous.